Although the hospital is the centerpiece of the healthcare system, health care is often delivered outside this setting. As the first text of its kind, Outside the Hospital introduces the reader to many types of healthcare services offered outside the traditional hospital setting. Divided into four parts (traditional care, diagnosing, acute-care treatment, and chronic care), the book offers 32 concise chapters that explore the basic operations of various healthcare settings such as physician offices, pharmacies, outpatient laboratories, chiropractic centers, dental offices, optometry centers, oncology centers, adult day care centers, hospice care settings, and more.